Rohtak, January 10
Senior Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader and former Finance Minister Sampat Singh today threatened a Singur-like agitation in Haryana if the government went ahead with the setting up of Reliance Special Economic Zone (SEZ). He also demanded the scrapping of the SEZ Act 2005 enacted by the Centre and the Haryana SEZ Act.

Talking to The Tribune here, he said the two Acts were not acceptable to the INLD in their present form as these were merely providing big industrial houses opportunities to set up new townships instead of real industrial processing zones. He said his party would not allow Reliance SEZ to be set up at the cost of farmers and it would go to any extent to prevent the transfer of land to the Reliance group.

He said there were differences among different union ministries over the very idea of SEZs. Even the Prime Minister had now been advocating the rehabilitation issues first. Even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) were opposed to these projects. The Finance Ministry had already gone on record saying the establishment of SEZs would cause a loss of revenue to the tune of Rs 1 lakh crore.

Mr Sampat Singh said in its present plans the proposed Reliance SEZ would have only 25 per cent of the area for processing industrial activity. The rest would be utilised for setting up a new township over which the state would have little control. Such small areas for industrial activity would hardly generate any employment, he added.

Seeking a national debate on the issue, he suggested that norms should be devised for limiting the number of SEZs any state in the country could establish. Presently, a small state like Haryana had been allocated 69 SEZs involving two lakh acres of prime agricultural land which in the coming years could mean doom for agricultural production in Haryana.

He said the maximum area allowed for any SEZ should be limited also. The area for processing zone should be raised from the current 25 per cent to 75 per cent to ensure employment generation and curb real estate activity in prime land.

The former minister said the SEZs should be rechristened as Manufacturing Investment Regions (MIRs) to prevent misuse of land for activities other than industrial. The government should only be empowered to acquire 5 per cent of land to maintain contiguity and that too at market rates.

In addition, the rehabilitation packages for uprooted people should be finalised before the land was actually acquired and handed over to developers. Farmers should be given equity shares in the project as compensation, he added.

He also challenged the Chief Minister to hold an open debate on the issue of SEZ here. He said the CM would be free to select a person from amongst INLD leaders to present the party’s case. Likewise, he should also name a Congress leader for the purpose. It should be moderated by representatives of the media.

Chandigarh, January 10
The Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has urged the Central Government to award coal linkage to Haryana for the setting up of a 1,000 MW or 1,200 MW thermal power project at Hisar.

Mr Hooda, who called on the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in Delhi last evening, told him that Haryana Power Generation Corporation Limited was setting up this project and the state government had agreed to contribute 20 per cent of the project cost by way of equity and the remaining 80 per cent was proposed to be raised through loan from the Power Finance Corporation, the Regulatory Electricity Commissioner and the National Capital Region Planning Board.

He also informed the Prime Minister that the Union Power Ministry had included this project for implementation during the 11th Plan period and it had recently been granted the mega-project status. The two units of this fast-track project were scheduled for commissioning between 35 and 38 months from the date of the award.

Mr Hooda said the Union Power Ministry had already recommended the allocation of coal linkage of 5.83 million tonnes per annum for this project to the Coal Ministry.

The Standing Linkage Committee at its meeting held in December recommended coal linkage for the Hisar project as well as the 1,500-MW Jhajjar project in joint venture with the NTPC and the Government of the National Capital Territory, Delhi, and the enhancement of the existing linkage of the 2x300 MW Deen Bandhu Chhotu Ram Thermal Power Project, Yamunanagar.

Chandigarh, January 10
The Haryana Congress today reacted sharply to the demand made by the President of the Indian National Lok Dal, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, that the Prime Minister should convene an all-party meeting to discuss the law and order situation in the country in the wake of the Nithari and Gurgaon serial killings.

A statement issued here by the convener of the party's media cell, Mr Pawan Jain, said it was ridiculous that Mr Chautala was talking about the law and order situation in the country when it was a known fact that during INLD rule, several criminals enjoyed political patronage.

Mr Jain said instead of misleading the people of the state, Mr Chautala should introspect on what led to the humiliating defeat of his party in the last Assembly elections.

Describing the ongoing demonstrations by the INLD against the Hooda government as "meaningless" and a "flop political gimmick", Mr Jain said these demonstrations had been organised merely as an attempt to keep the INLD politically alive. He said the INLD was opposing the special economic zones without any reason. The Hooda government had paid over Rs 23 lakh per acre for acquiring land, while the then Chautala government had paid only Rs 3 lakh per acre.

Chandigarh, January 10
The Haryana Government and its agitating staff today reached an agreement after a meeting between Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and representatives of the Sarv Karamchari Sangh and the Haryana Karamchari Mahasangh here today. Mr Hooda agreed to set up an anomaly commission in the state, besides treating the period of strike by the employees as leave.

The employees’ representatives expressed gratitude to Mr Hooda for reinstating 4,083 employees who were retrenched by the Chautala government. Mr Hooda said within three months most of the employees had been adjusted in various departments and the remaining 388 retrenched employees would also be adjusted soon.

While referring to the demand for the formation of a separate pay commission for the state employees, he said there was no need for setting up of a separate commission as the government would give pay scales to employees on the pattern of the Central Government. Rejecting the demand for change in the ex-gratia policy, he said the aim of the policy was to provide prompt succour to bereaved families.

He assured the implementation of the Minimum Wages Act in all departments. He said the anomalies in the pay scales of employees of various categories would be examined in view of the Supreme Court orders.

Mr Hooda assured the employees that the decision on implementing the new pension policy would be taken at the next Chief Ministers’ meeting.

He also ordered the removal of anomalies between the municipal committee employees and government employees in leave encashment. He accepted their demand for Rs 200 a month to sewermen and helpers on the pattern of safari karamcharis. The Chief Minister agreed to re-examine the ex gratia claims of the families of those Haryana Roadways employees who had died in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Roadways Workers Union, which had been agitating against the General Manager of the Chandigarh depot for the past three months, today withdrew agitation after the officer agreed to its various demands. 

Chandigarh, January 10
The Haryana Government has enhanced the amount of compensation to persons affected by natural calamities. The Haryana Finance Minister, Mr Birender Singh, said compensation in the case of loss of human life by fire or hailstorm would be Rs 2 lakh instead of Rs 50,000 given earlier.

He said that similarly compensation for the loss of cattle by fire or hailstorm had also been increased. There was no provision for compensation for the loss of cattle under the Government of India rules.

He said the state government would give Rs 10,000 compensation for dead animals ( camels, horses, bullocks, buffaloes and American hybrid cows) instead of Rs 3,000 being provided earlier. For ordinary cows, the amount had been enhanced to Rs 5,000 from Rs 3,000. In the case of donkeys, the amount had been enhanced from Rs 450 to Rs 2,000 each and for mules from Rs 1,200 to Rs 5,000. In the case of sheep and goats, the amount had been increased from Rs 300 to Rs 2,000 each.

Mr Birender Singh said if the extent of loss of property by fire was Rs 10,000, the relief would be 50 per cent; from Rs 10,001 to Rs 25,000, 25 per cent; and from Rs 25,001 to Rs 75,000, 20 per cent. If the extent of loss was from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh, the relief would be 10 per cent.

The Minister said in the case of houses fully damaged by floods, the compensation for pucca houses would be Rs 25,000 per house instead of Rs10,000 given earlier. In the case of kutcha houses, the amount would be Rs 12,500 instead of Rs 5,000, he said.

The rate of compensation for partially damaged pucca and kutcha houses had been increased from Rs 5,000 and Rs 2,500 per house to Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 per house, respectively, provided the damage was to the extent of a minimum of 15 per cent.

The compensation for the loss of standing, harvested or unthreshed crops by fire or electric sparking had also been increased. If the extent of damage was between 26 and 50 per cent, the compensation would be Rs 3,000 for wheat, paddy and cotton and Rs 2,000 for other crops. If the damage was between 51 and 75 per cent, the amount would be Rs 4,000 for wheat, paddy and cotton and Rs 3,000 for other crops. In case the damage was between 75 and 100 per cent, the amount would be Rs 5,000 for wheat, paddy and cotton and Rs 4,000 for other crops.

Ambala, January 10
The young woman, who was left at Ambala after being kidnapped, has been sent to Delhi under the police protection today. she was discharged from the Civil Hospital, Ambala Cantt, this afternoon. She had expressed her keenness to go back to East Patel Nagar in New Delhi.

Even though she maintained that she had been kidnapped and she has named her kidnappers, sources said the acquaintances of the alleged kidnappers met the Superintendent of Police, Mr Amitabh Dhillon, yesterday. They claimed that the woman was under the influence of a faith healer. They have stated that the persons named by the young woman are not involved in any such incident.

A copy of the FIR was handed over to the woman. Her mobile phone was also returned to her. It was taken in possession by the police.

Karnal, January 10
Taking notice of a report published in The Tribune on January 9, the SDM-cum-Registration and Transport Authority (RTA), Karnal, has issued an official communiqué to four government officials, including an HCS officer and Karnal MC president, directing them to stop using blue lights atop their official vehicles illegally.

The district authorities have decided to issue notices to the officials who overlooked official directions in this regard. The Mini Secretariat, that houses the offices of DC and SP, is one of the places where one can find official and private vehicles fitted illegally with red and blue lights atop. But no one had been challaned due to the apathetic attitude of district officials. Meanwhile, the SDM-cum-RTA, Mr R.K Singh, told this correspondent here today that following the news report, the offending officials had been asked to adhere to the government rules.